Hey Guys! Crescent Rider here and I'm back with another chapter! As for what you'll expect from this chapter, it consists of the end of the Baratie Arc.
And as the title of the chapter, expect certain truths between characters.
That is all I have to say and enjoy the chapter!
Baratie
With Sanji's consent, Marie treats Luffy in the Sous-Chef's quarters. After that, she stretches her arms around and Sanji proceeds with the following question, "You know, Marie-chan. I've been meaning to ask you this,"
"What is it?" Marie inquired,
"Is it true that you're from the Grand Line?" Sanji questioned, "Your Devil Fruit, I get. But it's you, I want to know about,"
Marie was silent for a time, then she turned to Luffy with a sincere look on her face, "I am... But I was nine years old back then. And as long as I remember, I've only ever been to two islands. I don't know where or what they are or which direction to go, for that matter,"
"So apart from your Devil Fruit, you wouldn't be any use for him, then?" Sanji presumed,
"More like I wouldn't be any use for him at all. Given how he wastes men, my services would've been short-lived than the average pirate," Marie revealed, and Sanji got all curious, "You see, my Devil Fruit may look useful, it doesn't mean there aren't any weaknesses I must ignore. One such weakness is the amplification of pain. Based on the number of clones I have within me, one little prick of a needle may as well hurt more than a sword wound,"
"That much?! If so, then you shouldn't have fought Krieg in the first place! What if you collapse, or worse?!" Sanji exclaimed,
"Your concern is most appreciated, but much like the amplification of pain. The human's natural ability to heal is also applied," Marie assured, "Why do you think I stayed in one place after Krieg and his crew left?"
In Sanji's mind, she was right. Back when Marie was treating the Baratie Chefs of their injuries, he saw some of her wounds closing rather quickly and not one mark was left on her delicate body. What concerned him was how Marie responded to pain, if such pain greatly affected she may as well have passed out or outright died which was something Sanji wouldn't even think or say in his mind.
Instead, he asks a different question, "If what you say is true, then why haven't you passed out?"
"It's because I'm strong!" Marie exclaimed with a smile, which caused Sanji to sweatdrop
But he ignored said answer and shrugged his shoulders before lighting a cigarette.
"I don't think it's wise for you to smoke with bandages, Sanji-san," Marie advised,
"Huh? Oh, sorry," Sanji apologized and closed his lighter,
Marie then yawns, and picks up Luffy's straw hat, "I'll be sleeping in now, let Luffy know that I'm wearing his hat when he wakes up,"
She soon lies next to Luffy with an arm over his chest and the latter continues to snore. As for Sanji, he goes to clean the Baratie with the rest of the chefs for today...
The Next Day
Just as expected, Luffy wakes up from Sanji's bed and becomes frantic when he notices his hat is missing, "Ah! My hat! Where's my hat!"
"Will you pipe down, you idiot! It's right there on your sister's head," Sanji pointed, and Luffy looked down to see his straw hat on his sister's head,
Though she was wearily waking up, Luffy would take the hat off of her head and put it back into his head, "Shishishishi, thanks, Marie,"
"You're welcome," Marie wearily said while rubbing her eyes a couple of times,
She then gives a cheeky grin, and Luffy then asks about the pirates. Sanji would inform him that they had left thanks to him as well as Ghin's message to Luffy. After that, Luffy asked that he and Marie be free from doing any more work around the Baratie after the Krieg Pirates were settled and Sanji confirmed it since that was the deal.
However, Luffy was still bent on having Sanji become the ship's cook. But the latter was clear on his refusal to become a pirate due to unfinished business in the Baratie. He'll stay until Zeff acknowledges him.
"Okay, I give up..." Luffy admitted, though he had his hand on the back of Sanji's collar,
"That means you let go!" Sanji yelled while tucking onto his collar,
"Luffy, you're going to choke him if you keep holding him like that," Marie remarked, and Luffy released Sanji from his grip,
Soon enough, Sanji goes on about the Baratie and its chefs. But he does dream of going to the Grand Line one day, which elates Luffy as he stretches his arm towards a railing and sits on it while Marie just walks right next to them.
"Then let's go right now!" Luffy insisted,
"It's just isn't the right time, not yet," Sanji admitted,
"Then if you don't mind me asking, why do you want to go to the Grand Line?" Marie inquired,
"Well, for one thing," Sanji then gives them a grin, "Say, have any of you heard of the All Blue?"
"Nuh-uh/All Blue?," Luffy and Marie replied respectively,
"You've got to be kidding me, that sea is a miracle!" Sanji then went on to an elaborate explanation of what the All Blue is like.
A sea where all manners of fish from the West Blue, North Blue, East Blue, and the South Blue. The All Blue is said to have it all and what Sanji wants is to find it as a cook's culinary dream come true.
After minutes had passed, the three then decided to have breakfast at the Baratie's dining area after the bell had rung. But as they walked right in, they soon found every chair occupied by the chefs.
"Ugh, really?" Sanji complained, "Oh good, they'd save us some seats,"
"They did?" Luffy inquired, oblivious to Sanji's sarcasm,
'I could've sworn that I arranged all those chairs and tables yesterday. Why did they...' Marie wondered,
"There's probably a ploy in play here," Wily Marie assumed,
"Chairs left for you,"
"Just sit on the floor,"
"Seriously? You're letting a little lady sit on the floor while you sit comfortably on a chair? I oughta teaching some manners with you," Sanji threatened, "And last I checked, she helped you all with your injuries. Is this the thanks she gets?"
"I don't mind," Marie assured, and Sanji turned to her, "As long as I get to eat, I'll eat anywhere,"
"Oh, Marie-swan. Your kindness knows no bounds," Sanji swooned, then went back to his usual frown toward the chef, "You should all be grateful for the lady's manners,"
With that, the three went and picked up a few trays of food from the table. As they sat down, Luffy remarked on how the Baratie Chefs were acting strange and Marie noticed as well.
Then came a complaint from Patty, "Hey! What is this?! Who prepared the soup this morning?!"
"Oh, I did! The stuff is pretty good, huh? I think I really outdid myself," Sanji admits with pride,
"Is that a joke? I could barely hold this slob down!" Patty complained while wiping his mouth with his arm,
This sets Sanji off, and Marie soon realizes their intentions...
But she spoke nothing to it and ate as Patty further complained about the soup. This led to a confrontation between the two chefs, and then Carne expressed his disgust towards Sanji's soup.
One after another, the chef stomped their spoons against the table, spat out their tongues, and frowned at Sanji, who was enraged by the chefs' harsh criticism of his soup and his career as a Sous-chef.
Then Zeff's voice caught everyone's attention, "Don't forget that we're seafaring cooks. So you better not waste one single drop of that soup,"
"Boss Zeff..." Marie muttered,
Just as he said, Zeff slurped down every drop of soup from his plate, placed his spoon on the table, and shattered the bowl onto the ground, this baffled the chefs and Sanji was livid by his action, "Geezer!"
"That wretched little dish tasted like stewed garbage!" Zeff criticized as he wiped his mouth with his hand, "If we ever served that kind of trash here, we'd go out of business!"
Sanji soon walks up to him, and grabs Zeff by the collar, "Are you really this stupid?! Just how is my soup any different than the stuff you make? How?!"
"You think they're the same? Don't flatter yourself!" Zeff yelled and punched Sanji across the face, much to the chefs' surprise, "You think you can lecture me on the art of cooking, do ya?! Fat chance! I'm the man who has cooked in more seas than days you've been alive!"
With that, Sanji rushes out of the room and blows a fuse while everyone just watches. Except for Luffy as he's pouring soup into his bowl and slurping it down, "What's all the fuse about? This soup is totally awesome!"
"Of course is it," Marie remarked, "They're just pretending that's bad, right, Boss Zeff?"
"The young lass is right, I know he's an outstanding chef. Everyone in the Baratie does," Zeff admitted, and so did the other chefs,
"I figured that was the case. No chairs, Patty's open hostility, harsh criticism, and you, Boss-Zeff," Marie said, "But apart from your acting, everyone else should work on cooking instead of acting,"
This earned her a heartfelt chuckle from the other chefs, and Zeff just smirked at her, "Indeed, but we had to work with it. After all, that thick-skulled idiot wouldn't listen to us if we tried to reason with him,"
Zeff then asks Luffy to take Sanji on his behalf, for the Grand Line is what's best for him. Then the chefs remarked on how Zeff put on a show just to convince Sanji to leave before going for more of his soup.
Marie just giggled, knowing how much they truly acknowledged Sanji's cooking. As for Luffy, he gave a straight answer to Zeff's request, "No way!"
Everyone was dumbfounded by his answer, even Zeff showed the same reaction. For Marie, she just giggled some more as she took more of Sanji's soup.
"But earlier, you mentioned you needed a cook for your ship," Zeff recalled, "Just what are trying to say, that he's suddenly not good enough for you?"
"Oh, he's good and I'd love it if he joined my crew and came with us," Luffy takes a bite out of his food, "But it seems he wants to stay here and cook with you guys. You can ask me all you want, I'm just not going to take him,"
"So you're saying you can't agree to it unless he tells you himself," Zeff summarized,
"That's how it is," Marie concluded, and took a few more food for Luffy,
"Well, I suppose that's fair enough. But who knows if that hard-headed little brat would agree to join up with you," Zeff admitted and the other chefs agreed,
Once Sanji had his mindset, no one could ever change his mind...
Their breakfast goes unbothered for a few moments, then Marie perked her head up and turned towards the door. Something that Luffy noticed was, "Is something wrong, Marie?"
"I'm hearing screams outside the room," Marie admitted, and it brought everyone's attention as well,
They had assumed that it was more pirates seeking a fight, but this turns out to be false when something bursts through the door and causes a dust cloud in the room. Once it settled, Marie rushed forward and checked on who it was, "Huh? Yosaku-san?"
"Oh, hey, Marie-Ane," Yosaku rasped despite his lower half in the mouth of a large panda shark,
"Fury, lend me a hand," Marie requested, and Fury Marie responded by emerging from her back,
They'd carefully pry the panda shark's mouth to free Yosaku, then carefully push the panda shark back at sea. Yosaku was then given a blanket and a cup of warm tea.
Luffy then asked where are the others, and asked if he knew where's Nami since she had stolen the Going Merry and left the Baratie. Yosaku then said that they never actually caught up to her, but they figured out where she was heading based on the direction she was sailing and what she planned to do.
Then he told Luffy and Marie that going to that place they intend to go may mean certain death to all of them. The point is that they need Luffy and Marie's help, which they agreed upon since they needed Nami.
But as they're about to leave, Sanji has something to say, "Wait, your dream is foolish. Then again, so is mine,"
'Sanji-san...' Marie expressed as she knew where this was going,
"Now is as good a time as any, why not start my quest right now?" Sanji declared, "I'll be joining your crew, to be King of the Pirates,"
Luffy gasped as he turned his head to him, and Marie was dumbfounded before a smile curled on her lips.
"You hear me? I want to be the cook on your ship," Sanji inquired, "Alright? What do you say?"
Before long, Luffy becomes elated to finally have a cook in his crew and Yosaku joins him as well as they hook their arms around and rejoice by running around in circles. As for Marie, she rushed towards Sanji and hugged him, "We're glad to have you, Sanji-san! And I do hope we get along!"
"Oh, not at all, Marie-swan. I'm just happy to be with you," Sanji expressed with hearts in his eyes, and smoke hearts coming out of his cigarette,
Somewhere in the Grand Line
On a marine vessel with a figurehead of a dog biting on a bone. Its commanding officer, Vice-Admiral Garp, felt some sort of feeling in his gut as he gazed upon the vast sea,
"Why do I get the feeling that I want to pummel someone that's not my Grandson?" Garp remarked,
Baratie
After Marie parts from Sanji, the latter turns to the chefs, "Are you guys happy now or what? Sorry, really. I'll leave now"
"Hmph, I don't like it! To tell you the truth, I was hoping to give you the boot from this restaurant personally!" Patty stated, "BUt it seems you don't have a problem straight up abandoning us,"
"I'm especially sorry for making the lot of you resort to bad acting," Sanji remarked, which caused Marie to giggle as he had heard everything,
Patty asks how he knows, and Sanji states that he heard everything, "Was stomping on my pride the best plan you can come up with? Was it? You damn geezer,"
"Everything little thing has to be a fight with you! I'm sick and tired of it! Bring it on!" Patty yelled and was about to confront him.
But Zeff would stop him by stretching his arm at him, "I have never liked children. As a matter of fact, I hate children, there wasn't a day passed when I didn't regret letting a useless little brat like you live, Sanji,"
"Ha! Fine by me, you old man. Enjoy the rest of your miserable life," Sanji rudely remarked,
For Marie, she just stared at the two and looked happy as well, 'They really are family, huh...'
"You can say that again," Purist Marie remarked,
Minutes Later...
With Luffy asking for more food for their voyage, Marie is in the middle of dressing herself up in her usual clothes. After she neatly folds her waitress uniform, she puts it into the locker.
"Looks like we're leaving this place for good, huh? That's a real shame," Ecstatic Marie remarked, "Just when I was going to get used to this place,"
"We're pirates remember? The only reason why we worked here is because of an accident with our captain," Marie remarked, and closed the locker door,
"Can we at least keep the uniform? It kind of grew on me" Wily Marie suggested,
"Of course not, there's no way I'd steal a uniform just because it's comfortable," Marie said,
"Eh, you can keep it if you like," Zeff said as he appeared by the door,
"Boss-Zeff," Marie remarked,
"You don't have to call me that anymore. Just as I promised chore boy, you no longer have to work here anymore," Zeff reiterated, "But despite your short service, you are by far the best waitress in all the seas,"
"Thank you, Boss-Zeff. Oh, sorry," Marie apologized, then went to pick up the uniform,
"So now that you and your brother have cleared your debt and have a cook in your chew. What now? What is it that you want in the Grand Line?" Zeff inquired,
Marie was silent at this question, and then a smile formed across her lips. She then admits her desire to Zeff and he smirks before letting the girl walk past the door.
"That reminds me, I asked your brother if he wanted my logbook," Zeff stated,
"And what did he say?" Marie asked, even though she knows the answer,
"He didn't want it," Zeff said with a grin,
"That's my brother for you," Marie remarked and went to join Luffy and Yosaku.
Outside Baratie
The three were waiting by Sanji's boat, and the other chefs gathered by the broken fin of the Baratie, "Cook-Aniki is sure is taking his time,"
"Yeah," Luffy said,
"Just give him a few more minutes, he's about to leave the restaurant for good," Marie said, "He'll come, I'm sure of it,"
And just as she said, Sanji steps out and goes to join them. But Patty and Carne then jumped out and lunged at Sanji with weapons on hand. The latter momentarily dropped his belongings, went on a handstand, and dispersed these two with one kick each.
"Let's get going," Sanji declared after he passed by the chefs,
"You don't need to say goodbye?" Luffy inquired,
"No, it's fine," Sanji assured,
"Sanji!" Just as Sanji was about to board the boat, Zeff called out, "Take care of yourself, okay?"
With just simple words, Sanji strives his lips and feels emotional. Before long, he quickly turns to Zeff with tears in his eyes and prostrates before him, "Chef-Zeff! Thank, you geezer! I'll never forget your kindness! I owe my life to you, old man! So thank you!"
Luffy and Marie just smiled as Sanji shed tears of gratitude. Before long, the other chefs shed tears and express how they'll miss Sanji as their young and irritable sous-chef. Even Zeff shared their sentiment as he sniffed his tears, "Damn wusses, real men should part without a word let alone tears,"
As soon as Sanji boards the boat, Luffy sits by the figurehead, "Let's go! Set sail!"
Sanji soon waved his hands as he parted from the Baratie. In a matter of minutes, the sea restaurant was no longer in sight and Marie looked forward to getting Nami back to their crew, 'Whatever lies ahead, I'm sure that we'll be ready...'
Meanwhile...
The Going Merry closes in on an archipelago of the East Blue's northwestern region. Nami, having stolen the ship, gazed upon the islands as the ship closed in. But, she often turns her gaze to a certain area of the ship.
Tied to the ship's mast pole was Solemn Marie, and remained patient rather than resistant.
And just the sight of her gives Nami a despondent look on her face.
Earlier...
After Nami pushed Johnny and Yosaku overboard, Nami unfurled the sails and used the strong waves to sail off of the Baratie.
Once far and alone from the others, Nami remarked on how the crew was great and hoped to see them again. All while tears came out of her eyes and embraced herself in anguish.
Before long, she hears a familiar voice from behind, "Are you alright?"
Nami gasped then sharply turned around to see Solemn Marie behind her. There was an abrupt silence between them, especially when tears still flowed from the corner of her eyes.
Before long, Nami acts in the offensive by pulling out her staff and attempting to strike her down. But Solemn Marie simply caught the attack and what followed was another question from her, "Where's the girl and the others?"
"You're not Marie," Nami remarked,
"Of course not, though I'm awfully curious as to why the girl and others aren't here on the ship," Solemn Marie stated, "Has something happened?"
Nami registers the fact that this isn't Marie, but a clone of hers that remained within the ship. She may try to trick her, but that comes with the risk since this may be one of her skilled clones,
Thus, she had no other choice but to reveal the truth since lying wouldn't get her so far, "They're still at the restaurant,"
"I see, then it's safe to assume that you've commandeered this ship for your own agenda, is that correct?" Solemn Marie assumed, and Nami's bodily twitch gave it away, "Figured that was the case,"
As soon as Solemn Marie lets go of the staff, Nami was uncertain of what she'll do next. After a long period of silence, Solemn Marie closed her eyes and pointed at the ship's mast, "Grab some rope and tie me there,"
"Huh?" Nami mouthed with confusion,
"My direct orders from the girl are to protect the ship, nothing more," Solemn Marie said, "Since you're still a crew member, and no harm is done on the ship. I won't do anything against you or anything you've planned. The least you could do is tie me to the ship's mast if you don't trust me all that much,"
"I don't understand, why don't you just beat me and then take the ship back? And for the record, I am not a member of your crew," Nami stated, while tears still flowed from her eyes,
Solemn Marie was silent for a time, then turned away from her, "Tell that to the Captain when he finds you,"
With that, Solemn Marie went to the ship's deck and sat against the ship mast. Nami, unsure of what to do, got some rope and tied Solemn Marie against the mast. What followed was Nami going back to the ship's bow and felt conflicted by what she had said.
Present
Upon arrival, Nami drops anchor by the port of Cocoyashi Village. After that, she went to the ship's deck and planned to leave. But she offers a glance at Solemn Marie once more.
She felt hesitant to leave her here at first, but then she decided to leave whatever water and provisions near her feet before leaving the ship. Solemn Marie just stared at the food and water, then closed her eyes after, 'At least she isn't so heartless,'
The only thing she can do now is wait for Marie's arrival...
That is it for this chapter, you guys! I originally wanted to add more, but I've decided to not to since this felt enough and I didn't want to drag the chapter any further.
Rest assured, the next chapter will contain some parts of Arlong Park and I intend to make it as interesting as possible. Especially when there'll be an OC Fishman who'll fight Marie.
That is all I have to say, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!
Marie's Jiga Fomu (Ego Forms):
Supaida (Spider)
Ushigaeru (Bullfrog)
Dakusu (Daggers)
Kamakiri (Mantis)
Sansetsukon (Three Section Staff)
Nekoh (Cat)
Hapungan (Harpoon Gun)
Parasoru (Parasol)
Burodosodo (Broadsword)
Muchi (Whip) - New
Unnamed Tonfa Form
Unnamed Adult Form
Marie's Jiga Kuron (Ego Clones):
Ecstatic Marie
Purist Marie
Fury Marie
Solemn Marie
Wily Marie
Honored Marie
Crafty Marie
Mild Marie
Three Unspecified Maries